Freddie Colston, then a 20-year-old student, became part of history when he performed with the Grambling College marching band at the first Super Bowl in 1967. Growing up in Fairbanks, Louisiana, Colston's experience of playing before a large crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum filled him with euphoria, reflecting on how dynamic H.B.C.U. bands like his transformed halftime shows. Historically, these bands contributed energetic performances to the Super Bowl, dominating the stage before pop stars took over. The tradition persists, emphasizing the unique cultural impact of these marching bands at major sporting events.
In the decades before the National Football League recruited stars to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, it frequently relied on dynamic marching bands from Grambling and other historically Black colleges and universities.
Colston, who played the cymbals, reminisced, 'When we heard that crowd, it was like a spirit got into us... We were walking on a cloud.'
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